Chapter 136: Neck and Neck

“Not good, hurry up!” Seeing what suddenly happened below, Kro and Sinrich, who had been hiding in the shadows to observe, could no longer hold back and quickly rushed over.

“Dean, it’s Dean Kro and Dean Sinrich—they’ve arrived!” Their appearance immediately drew everyone’s attention. Someone shouted first, and then all noticed it.

Arriving at the dusty training ground, they, like everyone else there, unconsciously opened their mouths in shock. Just moments ago, they had clearly felt the explosion of that powerful energy. Indeed, it was a very strong energy—a mysterious force that had suddenly enhanced that Knightrod greatly. Coupled with that powerful move, the two were most worried about West… no, actually both of them were worried. At such a critical moment in the competition, no accidents could happen, especially at this crucial time for the continent!

“Deans!” Kiro called out softly as he approached them, his expression somewhat serious as he stared at the dust, hoping it would settle soon so they could see how the two were doing.

“Disperse…” Whispers and discussions filled the air. Everyone stared at the field as the dust began to clear, revealing two figures faintly in front of them.

“Hurry, go over!” Seeing this, Kro said impatiently. He rushed ahead, followed closely by Sinrich, who didn’t dare fall behind.

……

“Damn it, you always do this! Following you gives me no sense of security!” Xuanyuan kept complaining. A cool breeze spread throughout his body, and Rod’s mind gradually cleared. At the same time, the changes in his body quickly subsided, and he had recovered by the time Kro and the others arrived.

“Huff, huff…” Breathing heavily, he looked at Viski across from him, who appeared in a mess. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips. In high spirits, he kept apologizing to Xuanyuan in his heart.

The self-satisfied Knightrod seemed to have underestimated his situation—he was probably not in much better shape than Viski, if not even worse, especially with those wounds from earlier, which now stood out even more.

“You… you’re really strong!” Viski said in a deep voice, struggling to swallow. His entire body was in pain, and his vision was blurred. The energy that guy had unleashed earlier still filled him with fear. He had used all his combat energy to resist, yet Rod still managed to land such a devastating blow—indicating an unimaginably terrifying power. If that guy reached the Golden Rank, he might already be dead on the ground by now.

He didn’t know what caused that change, but he dared not try it again.

“You… you too…” Rod panted heavily, also speaking with difficulty. In his heart, he had to admit Viski’s incredible strength.

“Are you two okay?” Finally, Kero’s voice came through. Seeing the two of them still holding their weapons in a combat stance, he and Sinrich breathed a sigh of relief—no serious consequences had occurred.

It didn’t seem too bad. At least it was better than expected, and there was still a chance to save them.

“I’m fine…” Rod replied weakly, then collapsed backward under everyone’s gaze. Gasps of shock filled the air. Vaguely, he saw Viski sitting on the ground, gasping for breath in a pitiful state.

“Damn it, it seems I’m still one step behind!” Rod thought resentfully.

“Rod…” Seeing Rod’s condition, Kiro and the others rushed over anxiously.

“He’s fine. That guy just fell asleep!” Kero said with a disbelieving smirk, frustrated that he had worried needlessly—after all, Rod had just fallen asleep!

“That’s good. Take them to the infirmary right away for proper treatment. Kiro, you and the others stay with them. Keep them away from anyone for the next few days. Inform us as soon as they recover!” Seeing Viski in a similar state, Sinrich quickly gave orders.

They cleared a path and rushed toward the infirmary, leaving behind the students with expressions of awe.

“Inform the family about this!” Watching the boy and Viski being taken away, a man present quickly spoke to another person nearby.

“Report to the higher-ups. We can’t let this boy get away!”

“Send a message back…” Several people immediately did the same.

The birth of a genius caused a huge sensation. Holy Light Academy was no ordinary school; there were multiple factions and families at play. Their presence here, aside from practicing cultivation, was largely aimed at recruiting new talent for their own organizations or families. Rod’s appearance today, naturally, drew intense attention. A genius was a precious asset to any faction, and they certainly wouldn’t give him up. It was likely that a series of actions would soon follow—this was also why Sinrich had instructed them not to let anyone approach Rod.

His performance today was too conspicuous, and it would surely bring about a series of consequences. As the dean, this old fox understood this better than anyone else. The troubles that might arise could ruin a genius—he had seen many such examples.

……

Looking at Rod, who was fast asleep in the hospital bed, Alice wore a troubled expression. She clearly hated that rascal, so why did she worry so much when she saw him injured?

“He should be waking up by now. It’s been two days already. Even Wiski has gone back to Dean Sinrich to continue training!” Anderson also said in a low voice while looking at Rod. This situation was much better than their last encounter with the Earth Bear, so they weren’t worried. With better care, he should recover faster.

“That guy is just sleeping. His injuries aren’t serious—don’t worry! Ugh, he really loves to draw attention. Why does he have to bother West when he knows he’s no match? He’s always causing trouble and never stays quiet for even a few days!” Alice started complaining.

“He’s awake!” At the moment Alice stopped complaining, Kiro said with a wry smile.

They quickly turned to look. Indeed, it was him. That annoying guy blinked, moved his fingers, and slowly opened his eyes, looking at them with an innocent expression.

“Huh… I slept very well!” To everyone’s shock, he even said this with a satisfied smile.

“Bastard, I’ll kill you!” Alice lost her temper. Just as she was about to cast a spell, Rod hurriedly called for help.

“Enough, Alice. Go inform Dean Kuro and the others. Rod, really, can’t you let people be in peace for a few days? You know this is a critical time, yet you keep causing trouble everywhere!” Kiro complained, stopping Alice’s actions.

“I want to too, but that guy came looking for me. I was just there practicing; who asked him to come and disturb me!” Rod retorted, muttering in dissatisfaction.
“Ahem… Never mind. You don’t know. Let me tell you now—there are rules in the academy, just like laws in a country. All the students want to practice, so a good training spot naturally attracts attention. Like the spot where you practiced that day—it’s spacious and allows full freedom of movement. But why doesn’t everyone use it? Haven’t you noticed?”
“It’s not that they don’t want to; they can’t. The academy holds tests and competitions every month. Those who wish to participate can do so, and the prize is a private training area. For example, that place was won by Viski last month after he defeated all his opponents and claimed it for himself. No one else can enter unless they can withstand his anger and attacks and defeat him. As for the rest, they can only practice together in the training ground!” Kiro explained with a wry smile.
“Is that so?” It was Rod’s turn to be surprised. There were such rules? It seemed he really had done something wrong. His face turned red as he thought to himself, but he quickly regained his composure. “Hmph, so what? I knew that already. Otherwise, do you think I’d want to provoke that hellion? He’s as strong as an ox! I almost died at his hands!” Rod complained, pouting. Anderson and Kiro also sighed, calling Viski a freak. It seemed Rod was even more extreme. An 18-year-old silver-tier peak warrior, though not as strong as Viski, could still match him in just a few moves thanks to his insane techniques and terrifying power. That ability was truly monstrous. Otherwise, why would people from powerful families and factions keep asking to meet him these past few days? It was all because of his combat strength.
“Hahaha… Kid, you’ve finally woken up?” Before long, Rod learned more about the academy. At that moment, a hearty laugh came from afar, and Alice appeared, leading Kro and Sinrich toward them.

Walking over to the window, he sat down without hesitation and stared at Rod. Kro was amazed—he didn’t seem any different from a normal person at all; there was no sign of injury. His wounds had scabbed over, appearing to be healing. Such a rapid recovery once again shocked the two of them. He truly was an incredibly resilient guy. After all, even West, despite being a Golden Warrior, hadn’t recovered as well from his injuries and had only regained consciousness yesterday. He was still recovering in Cenrich, and it seemed he hadn’t fully recovered yet! Thinking of this, they couldn’t help but sigh once again.